Buy Now
- Critic score
- Publication
- By date
-
Aug 2, 2012After four albums of American girls, dirt roads and fingers in dust with the radio on, it's tough to overlook the clichés.
-
Q MagazineAug 1, 2012Handwritten is pure New Jersey rock, dripping urban romanticism, albeit with extra oomph on the power chords. [Aug 2012, p.105]
-
Jul 26, 2012If in the past [Fallon] managed to transform similar icons [Ginsberg, Van Morrison] into a communal mythology, here it too often sounds like regurgitation, as though the reference were an end in itself.
-
Jul 26, 2012As a lyricist, Fallon has moved beyond bald cliché to bland commonplace.
-
Jul 25, 2012Handwritten houses some of Fallon's strongest compositions to date, and while it ain't punk, neither is The Gaslight Anthem.
-
Jul 24, 2012In going from name (or lyric) checking their favorite bands to trying to actually sound like them, the Gaslight Anthem might have blurred the crucial line between inspiration and identity. None of this is to say that Handwritten isn't an often enjoyable, occasionally brilliant album, cause it assuredly is that.
-
Jul 24, 2012It seems about 10 years out of date, and releasing it whilst Springsteen is mid-tour only serves to heighten their aura of lightweight superfluousness.
-
Jul 23, 2012Gaslight seem so hellbent on heroics, they often end up more Bon Jovi than Boss [Springsteen].
-
Jul 20, 2012As long as sincerity still counts for something and melody remains king, we'll let these qualms lie and lap up a record that's chock-a-block with comfort food choruses.
-
MojoJul 19, 2012It buries some strong writing, singing and potential. [Aug 2012, p.96]
-
Jul 19, 2012Their fourth album never steps out of the shadows of their heroes, and may not take them where they want to be.
-
Jul 17, 2012An honorable effort in what they do best.
Awards & Rankings
User score distribution:
-
Positive: 34 out of 37
-
Mixed: 2 out of 37
-
Negative: 1 out of 37
-
Nov 5, 2015
-
Jan 5, 2014
-
Sep 17, 2013